This is what others said about the book:

“Courageously self-revealing, Harris openly shares her own struggles to make sense of the psychological, and even metaphysical, implications of her own powerful ongoing interactions with ayahuasca. In Harris we have a guide we can trust.”

“With humor, care, and (it must be said) wisdom, Harris invites us to join her as she walks, eyes wide open, into the enchanted and wondrously thought-provoking world of Grandmother Ayahuasca.” 

— G. William Barnard, professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University and author of Exploring Unseen Worlds: William James and the Philosophy of Mysticism

“If you are interested in any aspect of psychedelics, I emphatically recommend Listening to Ayahuasca.”

“Harris shows how ayahuasca reaches deeper areas, such as the dying process, communication with entities and ancestors, a fuller appreciation of people and the planet, and the emotional balm for individuation; she shows how it can help heal the core issue that most of us share, the underlying ‘yearning to be loved and accepted.”

— George Douvris, author of Crossing Karma Zones

“Finally, finally, finally — an ayahausca book I can recommend without reservation.”

“Rachel Harris focuses not on the journey (giant snakes, dismemberment, insights, purging, etc.) but on what eventually matters far more: the ongoing and robust aftereffects in people’s lives. Harris is a skilled psychotherapist and a serious ayahausca user, and her credibility in both worlds makes her own story, interwoven with those of the many people she interviewed, informative and discerning.”

“A necessary book for any novice and a compelling book for anyone in an ongoing relationship with Mother Ayahausca.”

“This book provides an excellent resource for anyone looking to expand their horizons regarding ayahuasca. Part memoir and part research report, it covers many interrelated and far-reaching facets of the ayahuasca phenomenon, including valuable material on subjective effects and psychological integration, and serves as a useful primer on contemporary ayahuasca use.”

“At once accessible and well informed, this work represents a much-needed guidepost for health professionals who may encounter ayahuasca users in their practice, as well as for spiritual seekers with an interest in entheogens.”

“Rachel Harris brings the perspective of an astute observer, the rigor of a scientist, the compassion of a therapist, and the insight that only a participant can offer. Anyone contemplating an ayahuasca experience, or who counsels such a person, would be well advised to first consult this profound and important book.” 

— Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation — How Indian Spirituality Changed the West

“In Listening to Ayahuasca, Dr. Rachel Harris presents a well-rounded, reader-friendly account of a sacramental tea from the Amazon rainforest that has gained considerable attention because of its mind-altering (and sometimes life-altering) effects.”

“Anyone considering visiting Grandmother Ayahuasca for the first time needs to read this book before making a decision.”

“ Harris is not an advocate, and her book is not a polemic; however, it seems clear that this plant medicine has the power to transform some people’s lives in ways that seem to be filled with the magic and mystery so sadly missing from our overly civilized world.”

“An excellent book on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca; clearly written and well researched, it is an important addition to the literature on the subject.”

— Jeremy Narby, PhD, author of The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

“Rachel Harris has produced a uniquely brave study of ayahuasca use and users, through the experiences of others, and, most significantly, her own explorations. She moves through the mysterious process of self-encounter, sharing a string of hard-won insights into how ayahuasca can work its magic to relieve human suffering.”

— Diana Slattery, PhD, founding board member of Women’s Visionary Congress and author of Xenolinguistics: Psychedelics, Language, and the Evolution of Consciousness

“Harris, a psychotherapist and researcher in psychology, weaves together a fascinating and provocative compilation of riveting testimonies of individuals who experienced miraculous healing by drinking the psychedelic medicine ayahuasca.” 

— Publishers Weekly, January 2017

Spirituality Today Book of the Month – April 2017

If reading to Listening to Ayahuasca teaches us anything it is that as a living spirit the energy of the plant circumnavigates all traditional clinical and scientific analysis; leaving us to wonder just how this vitally important cure will ever become available to those who need it.

I have enjoyed reading many books on psychedelics but in Listening to Ayahuasca I felt that we have at last a publication that reveals the essence of the plant. We also have a publication that carries the core spirit of Grandmother Ayahuasca in a wonderfully warm and uplifting way.

Out of respect to the spirit of the plant and the non-linear approach of its author to Ayahuasca I shall psycho-analyse this book no further — just to say that to anyone who is even vaguely interested in psychedelics, entheogens, or Shamanic spirituality — in fact anyone who just wants to increase their understanding of the new frontiers of human consciousness, will find Listening to Ayahuasca by Dr. Rachel Harris to be a totally enchanting and deeply thought-provoking publication.